Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev shaking hands. Photo: wiki commons.

Haaretz – Syrian President Bashar Assad was advised by Iranian officials to divert attention toward Israel and the Palestinian cause in an effort to deflect criticism of his brutal crackdown, emails said to have been intercepted by Syrian opposition and released by the U.K.’s the Guardian indicated on Wednesday.

According to the Guardian, the messages were said to have been intercepted by the opposition’s Supreme Council of the Revolution between June of 2011 and February 2012, and include missives from Assad’s private account as well as that belonging to his wife, Asma.

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